Hall's £9m boost

ONE of the area’s finest buildings could be restored to its former glory thanks to a new lottery grant. Manchester City Council bosses have applied for £9.4m Heritage Lottery Fund to revamp Prestwich’s Heaton Hall.

ONE of the area’s finest buildings could be restored to its former glory thanks to a new lottery grant.

Manchester City Council bosses have applied for £9.4m Heritage Lottery Fund to revamp Prestwich’s Heaton Hall.

The ambitious scheme to renovate the fire-damaged hall is the third phase in a project which has seen other historic buildings in the park brought back to life.

Prestwich councillor Vic D’Albert said: "It’s in desperate need of some funding and restoration to what it once was.

"We welcome any plans to renovate the building and it can only be good for the area."

The hall sits at the heart of Europe’s largest municipal park at 600 acres and was designed by James Wyatt for the 1st Earl of Wilton in 1772.

Once described by a leading architect as ‘one of the finest neo-classical 18th century buildings in the north of England, if not the whole country', the Grade I listed buildings remains heavily fire damaged after the west wing was gutted by a blaze in the 1960s.

Council spokesman Mike Amesbury said: "Heaton Hall is of immense historical importance to the city and we must preserve this well-loved building for generations to come.

"We have worked closely with the Heritage Lottery Fund on previous improvements to the park and have now submitted a robust proposal to bid for funding for this all-important final stage of restoration."

A decision on the funding is expected in May. The council said that because of the hall’s Grade I status, any proposed work would have to be done carried out by specialist consultants and contractors experienced in working on heritage buildings.

Cllr D’Albert added: "It really is a precious local park and whatever work takes place, we want our residents to continue to make the most of it on a daily basis."